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Central and peripheral temperature change in normal infants
Author(s) -
Tappin D. M.,
Ford R. P. K.,
Price B.,
Macey P. M.,
Larkin J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2214.2002.00010.x
Subject(s) - rectal temperature , medicine , quartile , peripheral , confounding , concomitant , pediatrics , anesthesia , confidence interval
The purpose was to explore the relationship between the fall in rectal temperature seen in normal infants after being put down to sleep and the concomitant rise in peripheral shin temperature. In this observational study 21 normal infants had continuous overnight peripheral shin and central rectal temperature recorded, for three nights at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 5 months of age. Parents documented the start and end of feed/nappy changing episodes during the night. All recordings were made in the infants’ own home. A strong inverse linear correlation (median r 2 = 0.95, lower quartile 0.92, upper quartile 0.97) was seen between rectal temperature and shin temperature on falling to sleep when put down on 106 (65%) of 161 nights. On many other nights a significant non‐linear association was present. It was not possible to exclude the process of being put down to sleep as a confounding variable in this strong association. However, a similar inverse relationship between shin and rectal temperature was seen overnight during 111 of 121 (92%) feed/nappy changing episodes. If causal, the development in early infancy of an inverse relationship between shin and rectal temperature may be important for cardiovascular homeostasis. Further sleep laboratory work including video recording is required to separate the peripheral and central temperature changes that take place on falling to sleep from those associated with removal of clothing during a nappy change.